Co-operative Bank Hello, you're through to [name].
Mktg Hi, I want to open an account but I've read an article about customers having problems logging on and getting the services to work.
CB I haven't been made aware of those problems. Once in a while the site goes down for maintenance. We've had no reports of people not being able to log on in the past few days.
Mktg It's just I do a lot of banking online and it's worried me.
CB I'm the same, but I've not had any problems. I know we've had problems in the past. The industry brought out a new card reader and we had some teething problems, but that has all been sorted out.
Mktg So you give me a reader that I plug into the computer?
CB You put your card in the reader, put your PIN number in, then a number comes up on screen which you type into the reader. That brings up another eight-digit number and it authorises your transaction.
Mktg Would I be able to use it on my work computer?
CB You can use it everywhere and you can order more card readers.
Mktg Is that more secure?
CB Exactly, yeah.
Mktg So you would recommend the online service?
CB Yeah, but then I work for the company. If you get an account, you can try out the online service yourself. You could go on the internet and look on forums to see what customers are saying about it.
Verdict
The call-handler reassured me and gave me lots of information about the bank's online services. He was friendly and offered advice about how I could look into the service for myself, even recommending customer forums to get an honest picture of the experience.
Score: 8/10